Of Age
by shawn24
Summary: Set in the summer after OoP, Harry's life, and that of those around him changes dramatically
1. Default Chapter

Of Age

Chapter 1: Fabrication and Revelation

Fabrication

It was the third day. He hated the third day. This was the day he had to write the letter, he hated writing the letter. They thought they were helping him, but they only made it worse. It made him happy when it happened, the group of witches and wizards threatening the Dursley's. Harry was to write often, letting the wizarding world know how his relatives were treating him. If he did not write every three days, they would assume the worst and introduce a whole lot of magic into the prim, orderly, logical world of 4 Privet Drive. Harry had expected fear to coerce his relatives into at least treating him like a human, he was wrong. If anything, he was treated worse. Bars on windows, locked in room, very little food, trunk locked up in the cupboard under the stairs. In short, Harry was a prisoner. He was allowed to send Hedwig every three days with a letter to #12 Grimauld Place, but the words they contained were not his own. An angry Vernon Dursley dictated them to him. They were short letters, and did not contain the sort of glowing report that would surely give him away. His last one read as such:

_Everyone,_

_Things here are pretty much the same as last time, doing chores and homework but all in all not too bad. Hope to see you soon,_

_Harry_

The worst came after; after the bars were unlocked long enough for Hedwig to soar out the window in the direction of London before being slammed shut again. Then, smugly satisfied with his charade, Vernon would launch into Harry for his ungrateful behavior, unnatural existence, and heavy burden that he imposed on his family. Harry longed for the days when he was simply ignored by the Dursley's. At least then he could find comfort in silent dreams of returning to Hogwarts and the rest of the wizarding world that had been his home for the past 5 years. Now, however, it took every once of self control he could muster for Harry not to blast his way out of Privet Drive, consequences be damned.

And today was the third day. Having been woken up at precisely 6am to prepare breakfast, Harry was accosted for everything from the morning paper being delivered late to Vernon burning his lip on the morning coffee. "Too bloody hot, Boy!" Vernon swore, "honestly, even a trained monkey could make coffee, they must not expect much of you at that school else you'd flunked out by now, idiot..." Harry now sat at his small, unvarnished desk, quill and ink at the ready. He nervously awaited the pounding of the steps that would signify Uncle Vernon's arrival to prepare the newest fabrication. All too soon 20 pictures Dudley began rattling in their frames, signaling that it was time. Harry spent hours trying to find a way to send some sort of real message with his letter. He tried to add code, anything that would tip them off that "all was not well in Denmark." Unfortunately, Vernon would accept no embellishments from Harry. He wrote word for word what he was told, and if he varied, even in punctuation, he was made to scrap the parchment and start again.

"Alright then, here it comes."

_Everyone,_

_All is fine here on Privet Drive. In fact, this morning Aunt Petunia prepared a wonderful breakfast_ (Harry grimaced as he wrote these words, remembering the work **he'd** done to prepare breakfast_). I plan to spend the day helping her with the roses and tidying up this room. Can't wait till September 1st, all my love,_

_Harry _

Once Vernon had inspected the letter for accuracy, he pulled the heavy brass key ring from his pocket and ceremoniously unlocked the window. Hedwig looked mournful as he tied the parchment to her right leg. With a soft nip on the finger and a disdainful look to Vernon she hopped to the open window and soared off to Order headquarters.

"Those wierdos thought they could frighten me, showed them haven't I boy?" Uncle Vernon spit emphasizing the word "boy," some of it landed on Harry's cheek. Rage radiated from Harry's emerald eyes, and Vernon grasped the opportunity. "Going to do something are you, finally reached the age when you think you can bough up to the man whose put a roof over your head your entire life? I'll show you what we did to ungrateful scum like you in my day," and with that he swung hard with his right hand across Harry's cheek. The problem was that Vernon's right hand was still holding the heavy brass key chain; the impact had cut Harry's face in several places including the eye.

The very next second the walls of the Harry's tiny bedroom began to shake. Harry feared he was doing wandless magic, similar to when he blew up his aunt Marge, grew his hair back, or set the python on Dudley. He did not, however, feel the surging of power inside himself that usually corresponded to his using magic. It was only when he heard breaking glass and Petunia's fearful scream of "who are you?" that Harry began to think that maybe he hadn't been the cause of the commotion that was now engulfing Privet Drive.

Revelations

Harry woke up with a pounding headache. It took him a few moments to realize where he was, and once he did dozens of questions immediately formed in his still foggy brain. Harry is under a stiff linen sheet, on a stiff small bed, in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. How did he get there, what happened to the Dursley's, what happened just now, were some of the more pressing questions Harry had before being interrupted from his hysteria by the calm soothing voice of one Albus Dumbledore.

"Ah, dear Harry, I see that you've woken. If you are not feeling too peeky, I'm afraid we have much to discuss." The headmaster conjured a chair with a flick of his wrist and, sitting at the foot of Harry's bed, patted the boy's leg before beginning. "I'm afraid, Harry, that I must begin with some unpleasant news. Three days ago, your aunt and uncle's house was destroyed."

"Destroyed! But Professor, I was there three days ago, it, it only happened this morning."

"My dear boy," the headmaster continued, "you have been here, at Hogwarts, recovering for 3 full days, I'm afraid its true."

"But sir, I didn't mean to do it, it's just I lost my temper, I was scared, I was…" Harry intended to continue giving excuses as to why he blew up 4 Privet Dr. when he was silenced with a wave of Dumbledore's hand.

"You did not do this Harry. We do know who did it, what we do not know is how they were able to do it. You see Harry, as I explained to you at the end of last term, there are, rather were, certain protections keeping you safe at your Aunt's house. Apparently, those protections failed, and Tom Riddle's minions were able to enter the property. Can you tell me what you remember?"

Harry could not believe his ears, Death Eaters had breeched Privet Drive, could Hogwarts be far behind. His instinct was to question Dumbledore, but the solemn look in the headmaster's face took Harry back, so clearing his throat, he began his narrative of the summer's happenings. He left nothing out of his story, the fake letters, the starving, and finally the hitting. When Harry relayed that particular bit of information, the headmaster stood up immediately, looking as if the mystery had been solved.

"I would not have thought this a possibility Harry, but your Uncle broke the blood protection that was keeping you safe. You see, no matter how poorly had been treated by the Dursley's in the past, you were always physically safe; undernourished and unloved yes, but physically safe. When your uncle struck you, and drew your blood, Privet drive was no longer safe for you from the **inside**. Suffice it to say, that in one blow, your uncle caused 16 years worth of magic to cave in on itself. The Death Eaters I'm sure took no time in taking advantage of the situation.

"What about the Dursley's sir? If I have been unconscious for three days, what happened to them, and how did I escape the Death Eaters?"

"I shall answer the easiest question first, you escaped Privet Dr. because of the Order, specifically by Mr. Lupin and Ms. Tonks. You see Harry, the wards protecting what was once your relative's house were equipped with a sort of alarm, once the ward's had been breeched, we were notified instantly, and help arrived just as quickly. As for your family (Harry rolled his eyes at the word), your aunt and cousin are doing just fine; they were able to escape to a basement and suffered only minor injuries. Your uncle was not as fortunate. He was hit by a curse which I'm sure was directed at you, the Avada Kedavra."

It was not at all surprising that Harry felt no sorrow at this news. As a matter of fact, he felt a sense of relief, one that he was almost instantly ashamed of. "And the house," he asked, fearing the worst.

"I'm afraid it was complete destroyed. Running to the basement was the only thing that kept your aunt and cousin alive, it took ministry aurors hours to find them. I'm sorry Harry." With that Dumbledore turned to leave but stopped just before the door. "Harry, once you have had a chance to take this all in, there are more things to discuss. Over dinner, perhaps?" Harry nodded silently and the headmaster disappeared from the infirmary.

By mid-afternoon Harry was feeling restless. He had many questions, and he feared what else Dumbledore had to tell him. The first bit of news was a shock, was he saving the biggest bombshell? What else could have happened? Just before his imagination carried him away, Dumbledore again came through the door of the hospital wing. "Come Harry, Poppy assures me you are fully recovered. As most of the staff are on holiday, I believe something more intimate than the Grand Hall is appropriate for dinner, my office?" Harry quickly padded across the hospital floor and followed the headmaster out. In the hall Dumbledore began his singular tale of recent events. "I'm sure Harry, that you have not been allowed the luxury of taking in the Daily prophet?" When Harry shook his head the headmaster continued. "Harry, since your incident at the Ministry of Magic last term, many things have happened very quickly. Several death eaters are now in Azkaban, and Minister Fudge has formally accepted Tom's return. Another side effect is that the members of the Order of the Phoenix who battled Death Eaters that fateful night have been awarded the Order of Merlin, third class."

"That's great," Harry said, wondering what significance that had, and feeling suddenly sorrowful at being reminded of the night his godfather was killed. They had arrived at Dumbledore's office and sat down to a delicious looking place setting. Harry was suddenly ravenously hungry. They ate in silence until finally Dumbledore pushed back his plate and began again.

"Sirius, was not awarded the Order of Merlin for his participation that fateful day, as he was technically an outlaw at the time," Harry's head snapped up at the mention of the name. "However, Remus Lupin was awarded the Order of Merlin. Do you know what this means, Harry?" He didn't, and shook his head as such. "What this means, Harry, is that now, despite the negative stereotypes associated with your former professor's condition, he is a recognized hero. His status in society has gone up, if you will. As a result of this, two procedures were performed on Mr. Lupin. The first was that Remus submitted to a pensieve exam, and the second a sworn Veritaserum induced testimony. Can you guess to what end? Harry dared not hope, but his suddenly bright eyes urged the professor to continue. "Your godfather, Harry, has been officially cleared of any wrong doing, he has been posthumously pardoned." Harry was overjoyed, now the whole wizarding world knew that Sirius was innocent, he sadly wished it could only have come a little sooner. Dumbledore's words shook him from his silent reverie.

"With his name cleared, Sirius' estate can now be addressed. There will be an official reading of the will, which I'm sorry to say, will take place tomorrow morning at the Ministry. I'm afraid your presence will be required, as your name appears in the will. I shall of course accompany you to the proceedings; we shall leave by floo at precicely 8am. You may utilize your normal dormitory for tonight, the password is Wizzard Wheezes.

A mentally exhausted Harry plopped down on his four poster bed shortly after. Several realizations hit him at once. First of all, Professor Lupin, who had been his favorite Defense teacher, was now a hero. And as such he would be able to find the full time employment that had long eluded him. He was also free from the stigma of being a werewolf. This brought Harry complete satisfaction. Noone deserved it more that Lupin. Harry also realized that presumably, everything he owned (which amounted basically to his books, robes, and firebolt) was destroyed along with 4 Privet Drive. He also realized that his Aunt Petunia, who had always been a full time homemaker, was now without her breadwinner. Overall, it was a very disturbed Harry that drifted into an even more disturbed sleep.


	2. Pocket full of shells

Coming of Age

Chapter 2: Pocket Full of Shells

His feet were tapping under the table. His palms were sweaty, and for some reason he now knew he had unusually large hands and did not know where to put them. He squirmed in his hard oak chair and wished that he could be just about anywhere else. As it were, he was in a very small room at the Ministry of Magic's records department, waiting for the solicitor to come in and read his late Godfather's will. Once again it was professor Dumbledore who got his attention. "Harry, before the will is read, I should prepare you for…" But for what Harry should be prepared for would have to wait as at the very instant the door swung open to reveal a very disgruntled looking goblin accompanied by a portly little wizard in a tweed suit and bowler cap, carrying an armload of scrolls.

Clearing his voice with a polite cough Portly Wizard spoke. "We are here today, for the reading and execution of the last will and testament of Mr. Sirius Black. Reading the will will be myself, Rowan O'Neil. Helping with the execution of said will will be Gringotts goblin Georgoff. Witnesses include Albus Dumbledore and Arthur Weasley." Harry nodded in turn from Dumbledore, who had accompanied Harry to the ministry, to Mr. Weasley who had graciously come over from his office in the misuse of muggle artifacts office. Harry had been wondering when Sirius would have written his will, certainly not when while he was locked up in Azkaban, and before that time he would have been too young to think of such things. He decided in must have been written during those long days of confinement to 12 Grimmauld Place, just as Portly Wizard now known as Rowan O'Neil began again.

"Sunday May 25th 1996, this the last will and testament for me, Sirius Black. Before I start shelling out the goodies, let me get the sentimental stuff out of the way. If someone is reading this, then I must be dead. I had some things to say before I went, and just in case I didn't get a chance to, well here it goes. To James and Lily, I am sorry. I did my best to protect Harry, but I fear I have not been there for him. I tried dear friends, and I did not let that Hell called Azkaban break me. I am with you now. To Remus, the last of the Mauraders, never let anyone make you feel less than the caring, loyal friend that I've always known. To Harry, it is my sincerest hope that I fell by your side, taking out as many death eaters as I could between you and Voldemort. I hope this is read on the eve of the great celebration, toasting your second defeat of the Voldemort. Bury me smiling with gold in my pocket, have a party at my funeral let every wizard rock it. Let the girls that I used know, from way before kiss me from my head to my toe. Give me a paper and a pen so I can write about my life of sin. A Couple bottles of Gin in case I don't get in. Tell all my people I'm alright, nobody cry when I die, an outlaws let me ride, until I get free I lived my life as a convict, got aurors chasing me. Molly, Arthur, take care of Harry, he's on his own and life goes no.

Well, that's about as poetic as I am going to get, so what's say we get down to the heart of things. I have actually two estates to dispose of once I am gone, the Black family and the Potter family. I was, as Harry's guardian, executor of the Potter estate until Harry reached adulthood. This of course will be his in its entirety when he comes of age. As the last remaining Black, I leave the entire Black estate, property, and holdings to Harry as well. He can access this too, when he comes of age. My last little bit of business is this. By the power vested in me by James and Lily Potter, as the godfather of Harry Potter, I declare him to be hereby emancipated. He is from this second on, 'Of Age.' Good luck Harry, I hope this helps you start your new life. Never forget how much I love you, and I will always be with you. That's it, give the kid his money and let him go."

Rowan O'Neil rolled up the parchment and sat it on the oak table. After taking several deep breaths he unrolled another of the parchments and explained. This is the Potter estate holdings. It includes Gringott's stock, the contents of the family vaults, and the property in Godric's Hollow." The document was passed around and signed appropriately by Harry and his witnesses. "Next is the Black family estate, consisting of Mr. Black's personal vault, the London property at 12 Grimmauld Place, and Gringott's stock as well." Again the document was passed and signed. "And finally, this is the legal document declaring Mr. Potter a recognized emancipated adult." When this document was signed and rolled Rowan O'Neil addressed Harry.

"Mr. Potter, you have now taken possession of your inheritance from both your parents and godfather. If you'd like we can have the holdings combined into a single vault for you. I'm afrad than no single Gringott's vault will be large enough to hold your liquid assets, but we can alter a few joining vaults to allow you centralized access to your assets. As for the properties in London and Godric's Hollow, the deeds for those properties will also be transferred to your centralized vault system. With your combined stock in Gringotts, you are now the controlling shareholder. You contol 43 of Gringott's, no other shareholder has more than 10. Your stock certificates will also be combined and moved to your centralized vault system. Not counting property or stock, your estimated liquid assets are now 10 million galleons, as well as approximately 3 million British pounds. Here is your new vault keys, and am I correct to assume that you'd like the contents of your existing vault to be added to your new vault system?"

Harry could not speak he was completely dumbfounded. He could only nod his assent and stare dumbly at Professor Dumbledore as Rowan O'Neil and Georgoff the goblin silently left the room.


	3. Rally round the family

Of Age

Chapter 3: Rally Round the Family

The muggles were going to notice, how could they not. It had not been a full day yet since the reading of Sirius' will, and close to 30 owls had arrived at Harry's temporary outpost, 12 Grimmauld place. It was nearly as bad as when Uncle Vernon had tried to keep Harry from getting his Hogwarts letter. Uncle Vernon, Harry sighed at the thought, suddenly wondering what would become of the remains of his family. Somewhat deflated, he turned back to the original source of his frustration, the owls.

They had come from all over, individuals, charities, businesses, even young witches. If Harry thought it was a bother to be famous, he was totally unprepared to be famous and rich. He had gold before; the vault at Gringott's that paid for his school expenses was in itself a small fortune. But now Harry was more than rich, he was wealthy. And before him now were letters upon letters from people thanking him for all that he's done and asking for money. Harry thought it funny, how so many people seemed against him just a short while ago, but now that he was literally the richest wizard in Europe he was everyone's hero again. There were letters from individuals, with stories of maladies that St. Mungo's could not cure (but somehow money would). There were business propositions, seemingly everyone wanted Harry to be a silent investor. Charities wrote to him, requesting to set up a Sirius memorial fund. But the funniest were from the witches. He had received no less than 4 offers for matrimony in less than a day. Suddenly Lockhart's words echoed in Harry's ears, "Fame is a fickle friend, celebrity is as celebrity does…" He gathered up all the letters and tossed them into the fire. He was disgusted with it all. Once again he was famous and loved for something that he had no control over.

At this point he was glad that he was alone. Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Weasley had promised him some time alone to work through all that had happened. They'd also promised to keep things secret, but the rumor mill is a powerful machine. His first order of business was to determine loyalty. He was sure that (and the recent explosion of owls supported this) now that he was in such a powerful position (as principal shareholder of Gringott's) and with so much wealth, that he would have a lot of "new friends." Before he rejoined the wizarding world he wanted to set his boundaries. He was going to be good to those who had been good to him, and noone else. He made a list, a list of those people who had been there for him in his darkest times; times like when everyone thought he was the heir of Slytherin, or when Rita Skinner portrayed him as a lunatic.

Half an hour later, this is what he'd come up with

Ron

Hermione

Hagrid

Neville

Luna

Professor Lupin

Professor McGonagall

The Weasleys

Professor Dumbledore

Funny, the list seemed dreadfully small. In his whole life, he didn't have very many people he could truly call friends. Well, Harry had never been very good with communicating his feelings, but now that he could literally buy whatever he wanted, he was certainly going to let everyone close to him know how much they meant to him.

Five days later it was done. It had been a long busy five days, but Harry was glad for the progress he'd made. In that time he had received another 75 owls requesting various things, spent considerable time flooing across England from the Grimmauld Place fires, and spent an embarrassing amount of gold. He was still dodging the general public, and with discretion he was able to avoid any mobs. He was ready to be at the Burrow, were his real family, the Weasley's lived. With his newly acquired ability to do magic outside of school, he prepared his cargo, shrunk them to fit into a small portfolio, and stepped once again into the fireplace. A pinch of floo powder and a few green flames later, Harry was once again among those who really cared.

Upon stumbling through the Weasley's living room, Harry was grabbed up into a bone crushing hug by one Molly Weasley. "Harry dear, come hear let me dust you off, you look like you haven't eaten in day, let me get you something to eat…" she immediately scurried off toward the kitchen as Ron came down stairs to greet him.

"Harry, good to see you mate. I thought you'd never get here. Uh, sorry what happened to your house, how are the Dursley's?" Ron immediately looked as if he had broached a topic he had been warned agains, but Harry answered him truthfully, "I don't know, and honestly I don't care." In no time Mrs. Weasley was back with a tray of sandwiches that Harry eagerly took and dug into. Through a mouthful of tuna fish Harry asked Mrs. Weasley, "Umm, when do you think Mr. Weasley will be home?"

"He should be here within the hour I'd say. Is something the matter?"

"No, I just have some stuff to tell you, and I'd like it if everyone were here." It was a pleasant hour, spent mostly by Ron replaying the past few weeks worth of Weasley activity, and the normal fart joke telling that took place anytime two teenaged boys were in the same room together. At last the hand on the Weasley family clock went from Work, to Traveling, and finally to Home. After a brief hello and a knowing glance from Mr. Weasley to Harry, Molly Weasley assembled her horde or redheads and Harry began.

"I'm sure you guys have heard about what happened," he said as a cautious opening. Mr Weasley ensured him by saying "Of course Harry, I have kept what happened the day at the ministry just between you an me, but I am afraid _The Prophet_ has been printing things."

"It's okay Mr. Weasley," he began again. "In a nutshell, my child abusing uncle was killed by death eaters, Sirius has been cleared by the Ministry, and now I am the richest wizard in Europe," Harry said that last part very fast and closed his eyes. Disbelief was evident on each freckled face when he opened his eyes and began again. He felt somehow bolder now, and pressed forward with the information he came here to deliver. "Now , the fact of the matter is, practically everyone in the wizarding world has written to me in the last week to ask for money, charity, or what-have-you. The reality of the situation is that I came her today, To say what I should have said many times before. I'm, well, I'm just not good at this type of thing. Look, you guys have been the only family I've ever known, and well, I just wanted to do something nice for you guys so you know how much everything has meant to me." With that he opened the portfolio. He pulled out a small roll of parchment. At the look of discomfort on the face of Molly Weasley Harry stopped.

"Look Mrs. Weasley, my entire time at Hogwarts I have seen Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny being put down because they didn't have the new, fancy stuff that other kids had. For as long as I've known this family, I'd have given you guys every drop of gold I had just to repay the kindness you showed to me. You were literally the first people I've ever known who have loved me, and I am going to do this now, and I won't take no for an answer. Now, I have something for everyone, but seeing as Ron is my best mate, he gets to go first. Come here mate." Ron looked timidly at his mother, who signed in defeat then nodded slightly. Ron hopped up from his spot on the couch and approached Harry.

"Now we all know how much Ron here loves his Chudley Cannons. We've all experienced his orange wall paper and never ending faith that the Cannons might someday win the cup. That brought hoots of ascent from the Weasley children. "Harry, surely you didn't get me tickets to Cannons game, pro games are really expensive," Ron questioned. Harry smiled a very mischievous smile and, handing the roll of parchment to Ron he said (more to the other Weasley's than to Ron) "No Ron, I did not buy you tickets to a Chudley Cannon's game. Slightly deflated Ron unrolled the parchment, and after a quick scan, his mouth promptly fell to the floor. " I don't believe it, I don't believe it, I don't believe it. Ron's legs forgot that they were supposed to be holding him up, and he slid like jello to the floor and continued his mantra of "I don't believe it, I don't believe it."

"What Ron is having difficulty relaying to you all, is that it appears the Chudley Cannons are under new ownership, his ownership." Instantly Molly Weasley was out of her seat fury in her eyes. "Harry Potter, that is entirely too much, what is he supposed to do with the Chudley Cannons!" Harry considered his friend, thought briefly and answered truthfully. "Well, I assume that he'll go to Chudley, meet the entire team, pick out some nice box seats for us all to enjoy, and then make himself keeper of the team when he is finished leading Gryffindor to two more house cups." That brought cheers from the Weasleys again, and by this time Ron was on his feet hugging Harry furiously with tears on his cheeks. "I, I don't know what to say…" Ron began before Harry cut him off.

"You don't have to say anything, don't you see. None of you have to say anything, for any of the goodies I have in this portfolio. This (he pointed at the portfolio) is just a first step in my saying thank you for everything you have given to me. I didn't know love before I met you all. Now, If I don't get to this, its going to take all night."

"Ginny." She immediately blushed as Harry turned his gaze from her to the Weasley parents. Mr. Weasley, when we heard those words that Sirius left in his will...(Harry paused as his emotions were causing his breath to catch in his throat) I realized that we are never guaranteed a tomorrow. Anything can happen, especially now with…well with you know what. So I am going to learn from Sirius, and never let the ones I care about wonder my true feelings any more." After a small smile he turned back to Ginny.

"Ginny, I'm sure you remember that terrible day in the Chamber. We both nearly died (at this tears swelled up in Ginny's eyes). Do you know what saved us that day Ginny? It was loyalty. Dumbledore told me that it was loyalty to Dumbledore that brought Fawkes to our rescue. That day taught me a valuable lesson, about how important loyalty is. You showed me that same loyalty the night we went to the Ministry. You barely knew anything about what was going on, and despite the fact that we were heading into terrible danger facing full grown evil wizards, you climbed onto the back of a creature you couldn't even see, and fought bravely by my side. For that, I am truly grateful. It's funny actually, I've known you for going on six years, but I've only just begun to get to know you. It does help actually, that you are not afraid to talk to me anymore. You are a wonderful person Ginny and I care a lot about you. Which is why I am giving you this." With that Harry dug once again inside his portfolio and withdrew two tiny scrolls. "Ginny, have you ever been in Gladrags in Hogsmeade, or Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley?"

"Well of course I've BEEN in there Harry, but I've never been able to…" Ginny's voice trailed off as questions formed in her mind. "Why Harry, what have you done?"

"Well," he began, "I see giggling girls running all over Hogwarts with fancy gowns and new robes, and I just thought you should get to have that too."

"You bought me clothes, Harry?"

"Well, no, not clothes as such, although now you can pick out whatever clothes you want, you are now the owner of both Gladrags and Madam Malkins," he finished by handing the rolls of parchment to Ginny for inspection. "Of course you don't have to actually work there or anything. I kept all the original staff on, all you have to do is shop whenever you want, and collect the profits of the stores. Which reminds me," Harry dug around for several moments in his pocket before extracting a small gold key. This is the key to your vault. The profits from both stores will go there, and I took the liberty of adding a few galleons just to get you started."

Ginny's eyes were completely filled with tears now, and she jumped up quickly and caught Harry in a very intimate hug. Seconds later they reluctantly pulled apart, both blushing for some reason. "But Harry, what are these numbers?" Ginny was looking at her parchments and chewing on her bottom lip. Leaning over Harry smiled brightly, "Those, are the profits from each store last year, just so you have an idea of what you are looking at. And this is the contribution I made to open your account. Are you going to rename the stores, by the way. Something like Weasley Wears or some such?"

Ginny visibly faultered. "B..B..But Harry, this is soooooo much, and this, (she pointed at the parchment) this is no small contribution, 250,000 galleons, I don't thing that amount of money even exists."

Harry smiled and put his hand on Ginny's cheek. "I assure you it does, and it's your, no objections." He spoke softly and when he realized the intimacy of their situation he jumped back, looking guiltily at the elder Weasleys. Ginny blushed even pinker and sat back down next to Ron. Clearing his throat, Harry went on.

"Fred, George I'm afraid I don't have anything in the way of a gift for you two. More of an investment really. I also have to confess." With this, Harry turned again to Mrs. Weasley. "You see Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, the three of us are partners. I gave Fred and George the money to start their joke shop. I'm sorry, but with all that was, and still is going on, I just thought the wizarding world could use as many laughs as these two could think up." At this Harry turned back to his partners. "With this in mind, I would like to present the two of you with the ownership papers of what was formerly your biggest competition, Hogsmeade's own, Zonko's Joke Shop, soon to be the Hogsmeade location of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Along with that I have also added a small sum, to be used for research and development, or whatever else."

Fred and George roughly shook Harry's hand, patted his back, and roughed his hair for a good five minutes. George, who had finally taken a good look at the parchment howled. "Harry, with this 'small sum,' we could make a career out of research and development, this is a fortune."

"It is," Harry admitted, "but noone deserves it more, except perhaps. . ." Harry had again turned to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Immediately Mrs. Weasley, tears in her eys, shook her head. No Harry, you've done enough, for them (she gestured to the Weasley children) and its all just too much. Her voice was mearly a whisper. Harry slowly made his way and knelt on his knees at the foot of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He patted her leg with his hand and looked her squarely in the eye. "Mrs. Weasley, I never knew my parents, but I'm sure that even they could not have loved me more than you have. You all have been the only family I have ever known, and I'd give everything I have to let you know how much that has meant to me, so please, let me do at least this much. All this, really, is barely scratching the surface, and it's the least I can do." He reached in his parchment one more time, and pulled out the last of the parchments. It was smaller than the rest had been, no more than a scrap really. While the others were official legal documents, this had been handwritten, and contained only one thing, a number.

"There's no way to put a price tag on love," Harry by this time had tears streaming down his face as well. "Love is in a moment. In a hug, a smile, strips of bacon, hand knitted sweaters for Christmas. Moments like before the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, when you were there with me during the family time. You will never know how much that meant to me. All in all I figure there has been millions of those small moments, that have added up to making me feel like a real part of this family. Five million moments, I'd say was a good estimate." With that Harry handed her the parchment, where clearly written in Harry's distinct scribble was the number 5,000,000. "You know," Harry was lumbering to his feet and addressing the Weasley children now. "It is illegal, and next to impossible to take money from someone's vault without their knowledge or permission. It is strikingly easy to put money in. It's already done Mrs. Weasley, you can't say no, because it's already done."


	4. Chapter 4

Of Age

Chapter 4: More Philanthropy

The first thin rays of dawn stretched across the face of a wide awake Harry Potter. He had been up all night, both dreading and longing for the coming day. He spent the hours reliving the past ten days, days that had been the happiest of his life. He had spent nearly half of his astronomical inheritance showering gifts and money on his favorite family, the Weasleys. He had seen them struggle for too long, and the days of second hand robes and tattered books were over. From now on it was nothing but the absolute best for all of them, and that brought a satisfied smile to Harry's face. The party had lasted well into the night, with everyone supremely excited about all the shopping and finery that was soon to come. All the while assuring Mrs. Weasley that they would not get carried away, and that money would certainly not change them.

Harry had spent the next few days visiting the rest of his small group of loyal friends. To Hermione he presented the keys to her very own library. Housed in diagon alley, this was to be the very first public wizarding library, and rivaled even Hogwarts' vast selection of spell, history, and charm books. She was absolutely delighted, and when they opened the doors for the first time, Hermione spent hours combing the stacks like a kid in a candy store.

To the Longbottoms Harry brought an entire crew of wizards. There they began construction of what will become the world's largest greenhouse, and an exact replica of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Fully staffed with herbologists, paid by Harry, this botanical wonderland would be a tribute to the faithful service of Frank and Alice Longbottom. All proceeds from the gardens would go to further research designed to find a cure for their condition. A misty eyed Neville was speechless, but Harry firmly took him by the shoulder saying only, "Someday, we'll have them back Neville, never give up hope."

Luna was a bit more difficult. While Luna showed great faith and bravery in going with Harry and the other's to the Ministry, in truth, Harry didn't know her very well. He decided on an extended holiday. For the next two months, till the start of next term, Luna and her father were to spend their time traveling the globe in search of Snorlacks or whatever fanciful creature Luna could concoct. She was delighted at the news and when she kissed Harry squarely on the mouth (in front of her father no less) Harry blushed as only a Weasley could.

Harry had learned a valuable lesson from one Lucius Malfoy, money talks. The dirty underhanded death eater managed to throw his political weight around the Ministry of Magic thanks in large part to "financial contributions." Therefore, to Dumbledore and the Order, Harry donated 12 Grimmauld place to continue to serve as headquarters. In addition, a stack of gold so high, it'd make the Malfoys seem like paupers. Surely this, with the Ministry's official acceptance that Voldemort had returned, was enough to unify the Order and the Ministry in the fight against the Dark Lord.

All in all it was a very satisfied, hopeful Harry Potter who rolled out of bed. He put on his glasses and careful not to wake Ron, went downstairs to the Weasley kitchen. He was immediately served hot tea, bacon, sausage, and eggs by one of the ten new Weasley house elves (paid house elves mind you), Mrs. Weasley's days of constant labor in the kitchen were over as well. Shortly after he was joined by a very sleepy Ginny, Hermione, and finally Ron. After casual morning pleasantries and "pass the butters," Hermione broached the topic of the day.

"Are you sure you want to do this Harry, I mean we could always…"

"Yes Hermione, today is the day. Let's all go up and get ready, huh? The quicker we get this started the quicker we can be done with it." Thirty minutes later the group were huddled together before the Weasley fireplace. Harry took in the group and smiled, what a difference a fortnight can make. Ron was dressed in new black jeans, shiny new Nike trainers, and an Officially licensed Chudley Cannon's game robe with WEASLEY in black across the back over the number 1. He was sporting a platinum Rolex wristwatch with a beater clubs for hands and a revolving snitch second hand. Next to him was Ginny. Harry was started by how grown up and…well how beautiful she was. Her hair was braided intricately and tightly on her head, and she wore a new bright, colorful cotton sundress. In her ears were beautiful emerald earrings, with a necklace to match that hung teasingly across her chest were her low cut dress showed just a hint of cleavage. Harry stared at that necklace for some time before Ron's uncomfortable cough broke him from his trance. He realized everyone had noticed where his gaze had been directed, and he blushed furiously (as did Ginny). The uncomfortable moment was mercifully broken by the sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice coming through the kitchen.

"Arthur, Arthur where are you, the children are leaving now….Honestly, thank you very much Harry, all he does now is stay out there in that HUGE shop of his tinkering with all those muggle toys he's bought. Honestly, I see less of him than before!" Harry grinned mischievously. Arthur had not given up his job at the Ministry, he enjoyed it too much. He had however, made drastic changes to the number of hours he spent working. He was now spending only three days a week at work, and half days at that. He had spent the rest of his time exploring the contents of an entire Radioshack, which Harry had helped him buy to satisfy his love for all things muggle.

With a promise to return before supper, Harry was the first to step into the fireplace towards the first of their two stops of the day, 4 Privet Drive.


	5. Last Look at Privet Drive

Of Age

Chapter 5: The Last Look at Privet Drive

For a very long time Harry Potter was unable to grasp the bowl of floo powder that will take him to 4 Privet Drive There was a part of him that wanted to run away, and leave its occupants to whatever fate became of them. A thousand memories flashed in his mind as he stood in the hearth, his three best friends huddled behind him like a secret service team on the lookout. This needed to be done quickly, after all, the wards and ancient magic that had protected this place for 15 years had come shattering down with a single blow from the now deceased Vernon Dursley's massive hand. Death Eaters could arrive any second, once they arrived, he'd have to make his peace very quickly. The memories made him hesitate.

_Three years old; toddler Harry is still learning to use the toilet. After a potty accident Vernon forces toddler Harry to sit in his own mess, not allowing Petunia or even Harry to clean himself up. _

_Six years old; the one thing Harry has from his parents is the blanket he was wrapped in when he was left at the Dursley's door (although he knows it to be the blanket he was wrapped in when taken from the car crash that killed his parents). With an evil sneer, Vernon uses the blanket as a rag while changing the oil in the car, then throws it away like a piece of rubbish while Harry looks on and cries._

_8 years old; the nightmares have started, and Harry gets his first glimpses of what really happened the night his parents were killed. Despite his desperate cries to be let out, he is locked in his cupboard to suffer in darkness. _

_10 Years old, a malnourished Harry passes out in the rose garden after being made to work in the hot summer sun with no water or lunch, as punishment for sneaking food 3 days prior. The ambulance comes to help Harry, and when he returns to Privet drive, he is punished again for making a scene._

With a deep sigh and an affirming squeeze of the hand from Ginny, Harry gently picks up the powder and in a swoosh of green flames finds himself once again on Privet Drive. The sitting room was empty when Harry emerged from the fireplace. Harry advanced to the kitchen to find his aunt Petunia meticulously cleaning a spotless counter with a dishrag. Her movements were very deliberate, almost robotic. When she turned to face Harry he noticed immediately a change in her. Under her eyes were dark circles, she was exhausted. However, her eyes seemed somehow softer, her lips not quite as thin. She offered Harry a nod, and pulling out a chair at the table he pulled out his now worn portfolio. The kitchen was full of pictures of Dudley, the refrigerator alone had probably 30 pictures, held in place by magnets. Magnets from places they had taken Dudley on vacations, vacations that Harry was never allowed to go on. This brought new resentment to Harry and he nearly got up from the table to leave, but a voice deep inside him told him that he was doing the right thing. Harry steadied himself and looked his aunt in the eye.

"Aunt Petunia," Harry began. She was still clinging to her dishrag but had now sat at the table across from Harry. "I have something for you, but its shrunken and I will have to use magic to restore it to its normal size."

"The engorgement charm, your mother used it once on her…, well she tried it once at home when she was 13." It was as if she had spoken a foreign language, as Harry stared at her dumbstruck, in disbelief. "Go on Harry, let's see what you got, and you'd be surprised at how much I know about magic." Moments later, between Harry and Petunia sat a massive stack of neatly bundled muggle money, totaling 1.5 million pounds. It was Petunia's turn to look shocked.

" I know with him gone ( Harry paused at this, seeing the shadow that formed in his aunt's eye) that things will be tight around here. I want you to have this money, so that when I leave this house today, I can leave and never look back. Any debt I owed to you and him for taking me in is paid in full. It's funny you know, in this house I have heard my parents referred to as drunks, shiftless, unemployed leaches on society, and many other terrible things. Yet her we are Petunia, here we sit with the proof between us. My parents were richer than you and Vernon could have ever hoped to be, and they were heroes." With that Harry rose from the table and turned towards the sitting room. He had said his piece and he was leaving, and would never be coming back. It was Petunia's voice that stopped him dead in his tracks.

" I have something for you too, before you go. Wait just here and I will get it, it was your mother's. His mother's, how could it be? Harry had personally cleaned every inch of this house many times over, he would know if there were any of his mother's possessions laying about somewhere. She returned a moment later with a small cardboard box. Before handing it to Harry she spoke words to Harry that would forever change his perception of his aunt. "My sister was a hero. She was a hero in the same way that all mothers are. You see, we sacrifice mothers do. There is no limit to what we will sacrifice for our children, for their safety and security. I didn't always hate magic. I was fascinated by it really. I was always so thrilled when Lily would come home from holiday. I would make her spend hours telling me stories about Hogwarts, and the magical world. I'd read her schoolbooks and wish that I was magic too. And in the end, I guess I am, a little. You see, Vernon desperately hated magic, as you well know. I had never told him that I had a witch for a sister. When Dudley was born, an amazing thing happened to him when he was just a few days old. I guess he wanted more of his bottle, and I was nearly hit in the head when one flew off the changing table and straight into his hands. I was horrified. If Vernon found out Dudley was magic, my world would have fallen apart. To keep his powers from showing, I did whatever I had to do to keep Dudley happy, so there wouldn't be any power surges or whatever you call it. When you came to live with us, I had to be as cruel and demanding as I was, for Dudley's sake. He needed a father; he needed security. So I sacrificed my desire and love for you, for the love of my own child. Now that Vernon is gone….well if you…well things could be different. With that she stiffly held the cardboard box out to Harry. Wordlessly Harry turned away from his aunt, his jaw set and his eyes glassy. He didn't turn back to her, and not another word was spoken until he had lead Ginny, Hermione, and Ron through the sitting room to the front hall and out the door.

A/N: This chapter was pretty brief, but that little loose end had to be tied up. I had originally planned a nice little exit that involved Harry decking Dudley ala Hermione and Draco, but I decided I'd seen enough of the spoiled git, and couldn't stand to put him in a scene. Up next, Harry and the gang arrive at Godric's Hallow….stay tuned!


	6. Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Of Age

Chapter 6: Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Harry was not surprised this time by the load crack of the Knight Bus. He was not surprised by the tossing and jolting that took place as the bus swerved around corners and narrowly missed passing muggles. In fact, Harry would not have been surprised if Ginny Weasley would have climbed in his lap and planted a big fat kiss on his mouth (which she secretly longed to do). He would not have been surprised, because he probably wouldn't have noticed. Harry was oblivious to the world around him as he studied carefully the object in his hand. To an outsider, who happened to come upon this scene would have observed a scrawny little boy staring longingly at an ordinary stick. But Harry was no ordinary scrawny boy, and clutched tightly in his hand was no ordinary stick. It was made of willow, it was 10 ¼ inches long, and despite being a bit worn, and a bit soft, was rather swishy; good for charms work. It was once the wand of Harry's mother Lily. This was his mother's legacy. More than any amount of gold, more than any stack of pounds, more than anything else, he was proud of this one thing. He had an invisibility cloak that had belonged to his father. Every time he used that cloak, draped in invisibility, he felt closer to his father. It was almost as if he had resurrected the Maurader through his own adventures at Hogwarts. And now, now he had that same connection to his mother. The instant he say it he knew. He would never be able to kill Voldemort with his own wand. The connection between the two wands would not allow them to do battle against each other. But with this, his mother's wand, Harry would avenge his parents and everyone else who had suffered at the hands of Tom Riddle.

"Uh, Harry…we're here." It took him a second to realize what had happened. The Knight bus had stopped, everyone was off, and Hermione was beckoning him off as well. Harry was glowing with determination, but the immediacy of the situation flooded back to him and he hastily exited the bus with a muttered goodbye to one Stan Shunpike. "What exactly are we looking for?" Ron asked, his hands up in the air in question, "look at this place, it isn't exactly a tiny village anymore." He was right, fifteen years could produce an amazing amount of change, especially in the muggle world. What was once a small muggle village was now a full-blown city, from the looks of it about 100,000 strong. "How will we ever find the property?" Ginny asked, looking puzzled. There must be thousands of houses in this town.

"That isn't our only problem," Hermione stated matter-of-factly. "We won't ever be able to find it. The fidelius charm, it hasn't been broken. Wormtail disclosed the location to Harry's house to Voldemort, so he was able to find it. There was noone to undue the charm after…" (she paused and gave Harry a sympathetic look). "I mean we could be standing on the property and never see it. I really don't see how we are…"

"There is a way." The voice that interrupted Hermione's discourse belonged to Remus Lupin, who had just apparated in. He approached Harry and engulfed him in a tight hug, leaving Harry surprised but thankful. "As always, Hermione, you are right on the mark. You really are the brightest witch of your age, you know. But I'm afraid you overlooked one tiny detail in your analysis of the situation. You see, the fidelius charm was put on the Potter's home to keep them hidden. But the Potter's themselves could see the property just as easily as you and I can see those trees over there (he waved a hand absentmindedly towards a small grove of oak trees). So you see, there is one person alive, other than Peter Pettigrew, who can find the Potter's estate, and that is Harry himself."

Hermione immediately opened her mouth to reply but Remus silenced her with a wave of the hand. "Harry was only a baby the last time he was in this place." He took Harry by the shoulders and looked intently in his cold green eyes. "But it was your home Harry, you can find it. But before you do, you have to be prepared for what you are going to find. Look at this, this city! This place was a small village when your parents lived here. Time has passed. When Vo-that night, the house was destroyed. What remains may not be a pretty site. Are you sure you want to do this?

Harry set his jaw and willed the tears to leave his eyes. This was his home, whatever remained was proof that his parents had lived, had been happy, and had died bravely fighting evil. To Harry this journey was a pilgrimage, like somehow seeing his family home would fill a void in his heat that he'd felt all of his life. He would see it, if he could. He'd build a memorial here, and wizards from all over the world would come to this place, to remember. His eyes were closed and his head was down. When he opened them, he was somewhat surprised to see a tiny hand found its way inside his own, and was squeezing lovingly. With wide eyes Harry looked up to see that that hand belonged to Ginny, who wiped a single tear off his cheek and softly said, "Harry, you'll always have a home at the Burrow, you don't have to do this."

"No, I want to, I can take it. What do I have to do Remus?" At this Remus furrowed his eyebrows and placed on hand on his mouth and chin, in thought. "Well," he said at last, it is your home. I guess all you have to do is remember it, and it should appear." Harry closed his eyes then felt a stiff hand on this shoulder, must be Ron. Ginny's hand was still in his, and then he felt Hermione's arm snake around his waist. His friends were there for him, so he searched.

"_He's coming! Take Harry and run, I'll hold him off!" There was yellow wallpaper, and a mobile dangling above a baby crib. "No, take me instead, don't take him, please!" He was on the top floor. It was a two-story cottage, with white paint and orange shingles. "Happy birthday, dear Harry, Happy birthday to you!" There were decorations, a cake, a swing, and stroller. A high chair, a banister, a big man in dark clothes, a bright flash, a song, a bottle, warm kisses, and lots and lots of soft. There were…_

"Oh my god!" The voice of Lupin startled Harry out of his memories. He kept his eyes closed, bracing himself for what he'd find. Slowly, he opened his eyes. But instead of fifteen years worth of decay and ruin, the group was standing in the front yard of a white two-story cottage, with orange shingles and yellow wall paper, just as it had been in Harry's memory. "I, I can't explain this." Lupin stuttered. "I, this place was destroyed. I mean Hagrid, and Sirius, they saw, it just can't be."

"Well, shall we go in then?" Ron, leave it to Ron to come up with such a simple thing to say, but those words terrified and excited Harry. He ran for the door and flung it open. The entryway was small, with hardwood floors. It opened to a large sitting room comfortably equipped with a wooden rocking chair, a plush gray sofa, and 2 easy chairs. Next to the farthest easy chair was a small playpen. The dining room had vaulted ceilings, and a bright chandelier above a large oak table set for three. "It, it must have rebuilt itself," Lupin spoke to noone in particular, "slowly, over the last 15 years. This is exactly as it was…"

A small grin was beginning to form on Harry's face. He passed the hallway, the loo, the kitchen, getting more excited as he went. At last he was at the stairs. Looking back at Ron, with a smile that reached his eyes, Harry darted up the stairs, two at a time. He passed a room that he instantly recognized as his parents, another loo, then stopped dead at his bedroom door. There was a hand carved sign on the door. About 6 inches by 4 inches, it was painted scarlet, with golden letters that spelled out HARRY. With a shaking hand he turned the handle.

The room was perfect. It was covered with quiddich gear. There were vintage broomsticks on the walls, and a Hogwarts quiddich robes bearing the name POTTER on the back in scarlet and gold. There were toy snitches, and wooden blocks; stuffed animals and finger paintings. This was his stuff, reborn after all these years. The tears flowed freely, then he spoke. "This is where it happened, right there." He pointed to a spot on the floor, no more than a foot from where Ginny stood. Funny he'd never noticed it before, but Ginny actually looked a lot like his mother, from the pictures he'd seen. The long flowing red hair, the forceful personality, they actually were quite similar. He gave her an odd sort of look before continuing. "Right there is where Voldemort killed my Mum. The curse, the, the scar, the…" His words failed him as emotion and tears burst through Harry, and he fell to the ground. A shocked Ron looked on dumbly as Ginny was at his side in an instant, comforting him with soothing words and stroking his forehead.


End file.
